


Dolus

by Chandanista



Series: Hibernis Milite [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Mischief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:55:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22146796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chandanista/pseuds/Chandanista
Summary: A few minutes shopping in Diagon Alley.
Series: Hibernis Milite [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1526771
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	Dolus

Snow fell in Diagon Alley prettily, magic allowing for a picturesque landscape in a way natural Muggle weather assuredly didn’t. It gathered on the edge of the footpath and on the rooftops, sparkling merrily among the lampposts, attractively drawn to the areas it belonged without manual attention. Draco happily sped from window to window, occasionally entering a retail establishment to look more closely at an item of interest and, at times, purchase an item for the upcoming holiday. A tall, foreboding figure tagged after him, an enchanted shopping bag hanging from his metal elbow.  


“See, Barnes, see that?” Draco said excitedly, pointing at display, “that’s the new Old Magic collectible series. Norse is this year’s collection, last year was Roman, which was just an excuse to rebrand all the unsold Greek gods, if you ask me. The Aztec series a few years ago was magnificent, of course I was too young then, so I had to get Mother to search for them. And I’m still missing Huecoy...er, _Huehuecoyotl_. Apparently the makers overdid his enchantment, and quite a few shapeshifted into other figurines before they were unwrapped so people thought they had duplicates unless they shifted again, and it’s really quite difficult to find him now. Honestly, you’d think they would have released more; everyone loves the gods of mischief.”  


James glanced at the display, then returned to suspiciously tracking nearby shoppers. The window display held a series of figurines moving around a large tree. Behind them were stacked the sealed bags in which their doppelgangers currently resided. He’d already heard the lecture on last year’s display, a revised version of the previous Mount Olympus. It both prompted memories of toy displays from his youth, while also reminding him of how Very Different everything was in this new world.  


“Oh please,” a nearby boy stated. His hair was hidden under a maroon hat, the color made his freckles stand boldly against his otherwise pale face. “Everyone knows the warriors are better. Look at Thor!” He cheered with a group of other children as a tiny bolt of lightning flashed out of Thor’s hammer: this one hit the tree base, to the apparent relief of a nearby figurine attempting to hide his entire bulk behind a tiny shield. James filed away the intriguing idea of putting Draco’s Zeus into a box with his soon-to-be-collected Thor to see which action figure could beat the other in lightning combat, and paid attention to the boys.  


“Shove off,” Draco was replying. “Warriors like Thor are just flashy, with or without the lightning. The mischief gods are the ones that get things done. They use their minds to accomplish what muscle can’t.”  


“Yeah right, they never succeed at anything before the warrior beats them at their own game. Literally beats them, of course,” the boy snickered.  


Draco pointed at the Loki figurine, which had long, red hair and a bright colored outfit; it was currently using daggers to climb the display tree’s trunk, above Thor’s head. “Loki, god of mischief, magic and hearth; fire is tame in the fireplace but if it gets out, there’s trouble and suffering. Lots of people think he was just chaos and caused trouble, and yeah, there’s lots of stories of that. Especially after the other gods tortured him ‘til he went insane. But sometimes, he was helping other people do what they had to, giving them a reason to choose to do it. He was a manipulator who worked within free will, not some sort of evil dictator.”  


Maroon went a bit red, “Oh you think it’s all right to play with a person’s will, wouldn’t you? You a baby death eater? You gonna _imperius_ me? Stop my free will to do _this_ ,” he stepped forward to give Draco a shove but was stopped suddenly by James’s bulk.  
“No, but I’ll stop it. There’s no beef here, boys. End it.”  


A flash of intimidation went through Maroon’s eyes, he nodded and backed towards the window. James put a hand on Draco’s shoulder and they moved down the footpath, Draco scowling back at the other child.  


“We don’t have to leave. I know I’m right, Barnes. You told me the tales yourself. None of the gods would do what they have to, if there hadn’t been someone pushing them.”  
“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you need to shove it in another’s face,” James admonished. “Difference between Slytherin and Gryffindor, yeah?”  


“Yes, alright then,” Draco sighed. “Let’s go to Flourish and Blott’s, it must be about time to meet up with Father.”  


“Excuse me,” a man called behind them. James shifted, irritated at the newest interruption. This man had dark hair to his shoulders, and his robe was thrown open to show a green tunic with gold accents. “I believe I’m lost. Would you mind pointing me to a local bookshop?”  


“We’re headed that way ourselves, sir. Flourish and Blott’s, just over here. Are you new to Diagon?” Draco said.  


“Not new. Just, I’ve been away for a while. Things have moved around; quite a lot, actually. Oh, is this it? You were right, it was quite close. Here, boy,” the man held out a small pouch, “for your troubles this evening.”  


James reached out his silver arm and took the package, not trusting this stranger at all. “You are quite welcome. Glad to assist. Goodbye.” His tone was flat. The man startled a bit, then smiled, all teeth.  


“Yes, quite. Good day to you both,” he nodded, and spun away to enter the shop.  


“What is it, Barnes? What did he give me?”  


“Wait, Draco. Patience; let’s have your dad look it over. I don’t trust gifts from strangers, and you shouldn’t either.”  


“It wasn’t a gift, it was payment. C’mon Barnes…”  


Fortunately, Lucius stepped out of the store at that moment and the discussion came to a halt.  
***  
Once they’d returned home, and Lucius had deemed the bag and its contents safe, Draco happily opened it and stared at the figurine that tumbled out.  
“Hue…Huehuecoyotl. Merlin, I’ve got Huehuecoyotl! Look! Look, Barnes!”  


James frowned. How likely was it that a random passerby would have the one figurine Draco wanted, a rare collectible that he was willing to give up to a boy who simply walked with him on a street? He filed away the man’s image. A good looking image it was, with a velvety smooth voice and posh accent to match. As pleasantly warm as his image made James feel, if they met again, he had questions for the gentleman.

**Author's Note:**

> Dolus is Latin for Trick, Deceit.
> 
> Sorry if you were waiting for a story in this 'verse. I had the thought of Draco shopping with friends, but Loki showed up in a paragraph and laughed at me until I changed the story. 
> 
> Blind bags are ridiculous, am I right? My kids love them, but give me what I want to purchase, full details up front, any day.


End file.
